Despite the fact that Alzheimer’s is the topic of many jokes about forgetfulness and memory loss, most people don’t even know the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s dementia. And they certainly don’t know what to expect when it comes to how the disease progresses.

We often joke about 'going senile' or 'getting Alzheimer’s' when we forget things. However, most people don’t understand what dementia really is, what the symptoms of the disease are, or how it progresses. It’s important to know the difference between simply being forgetful and suffering from dementia, in order to have a greater undertstanding of this debilitating and frightening illness.